The Influence of Perceived Health Status on Poor Women's Confidence in Leaving Welfare: Implications for Social Work

This article focuses on the realities poor women living in Georgia face in the pursuit of employment. The inquiry focuses on 107 women (84.1% African American, 15.9% white) who were respondents to a survey undertaken by the Welfare Reform Project in Georgia to predict the participants' self-rep...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Social work in health care 2009-01, Vol.48 (1), p.57-75
Main Authors: Alzate, Mónica M., Moxley, David P., Bohon, Stephanie A., Nackerud, Larry
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Adult
African Americans
Employment
Employment - psychology
European Continental Ancestry Group
Family Characteristics
Female
Females
Georgia
Health
Health Status
Humans
Low Income Groups
low-income women
Poverty - ethnology
Self Efficacy
Services
Social Welfare
Social Welfare - psychology
Social Work
U.S. welfare system
Welfare
Women
women's confidence
Women's Health
Young Adult
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Summary:This article focuses on the realities poor women living in Georgia face in the pursuit of employment. The inquiry focuses on 107 women (84.1% African American, 15.9% white) who were respondents to a survey undertaken by the Welfare Reform Project in Georgia to predict the participants' self-reported confidence in leaving welfare. Predictors of confidence to leave welfare involved health, age, welfare dependency, educational attainment, race, and number of children at home. Health was the strongest predictor, followed by age. Based on Bandura's social cognitive theory, findings suggest that the confidence of female welfare recipients may be greater than can be justified by the realities of their lives and the society in which they live. The article identifies implications for social work including the delivery of social services and counseling for poor women who face complex health issues yet who want to enter the workforce.
ISSN:0098-1389
1541-034X
DOI:10.1080/00981380802445980